Nancy

The first picture is a good, stable overhead squat. Notice a few things. A good neutral spine, the middle of the bar is centered over his center of gravity (his ankle bones), and his head is also neutral, which is a reflection of his lumbar spine position.

The middle photo represents a lot of athletes I see. The bar is actually behind the center of gravity, but because of an excessive extension of the thoracic spine and thrust forward of the head, he is able to balance it. The bulk of this weight is being loaded through his shoulder joint and the look on his face suggests how “not easy” that lift has become.

The final shot, the middle of the bar if shifting forward of his center of gravity, which again is loading his shoulder joint excessively. Compared to the first picture, you can see the rotation of his elbows and how he is having to compensate in order to hold the bar. His head is also lifted, which is a cervical extension and again, reflects an overextension of his spine in general. He will be chasing that bar as he stands up.

What steps can you take today to make your lift look more like the first photo?)